There are potentially very serious and lifelong consequences to suffering a concussion or other head injury. This concern is not just for professional athletes; it holds true for anyone involved in high risk sports as well as military personnel. Concussions are complex pathophysiological processes affecting the brain, induced by traumatic biomechanical forces. Research is starting to show the important role that neck muscles play in absorbing concussion forces from head impact. Recent research shows that for every pound of increased neck strength, concussion risk decreases by 5%. Previous research has also demonstrated how head peak acceleration and HIT scores, a proxy for concussion, can be drastically reduced in biomechanical models by increasing neck stiffness. What the sporting world lacks is an effective method of harnessing this natural shock absorption system and enhancing it.
Methods of strength training the neck currently exist, and these methods may increase neck girth. However to help the neck muscles protect the brain the reflexes and responsiveness of these muscles' should also be improved. As is known, a tense muscle provides much more resistance to acceleration than does a limp muscle.
There exists a need in the art for devices and methods that safely strengthen the neck muscles, increase neck girth and stiffness and/or improve the neck's reflex response enhancing protection further. There also remains a need for devices and methods that can be used to evaluate a subject's pre-participation concussion risk by assessing performance and accurately predicting subjects most at risk.